Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes with Avocado Crema

Name: Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes with Avocado Crema
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 20 oz cooked salmon (chopped finely (about 3 salmon fillets)); 3/4 cup mashed sweet potato ((or about 1 medium sweet potato cooked)); 1 egg; 1 teaspoon dried dill ((or 1-2 tablespoons fresh)); 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion ((or chives)); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 cup almond flour ((can also use bread crumbs)); 1-2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 medium ripe avocado; Juice of half a lemon ((about 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice)); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 tablespoons water; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 1/4 teaspoon dried dill ((optional))

These sweet potato salmon cakes served with a tasty avocado crema are a fun way to obtain nutrients like iron, healthy fats and protein! They’re perfect for baby-led weaning or toddlers since they’re easy to hold and fun to eat. A great healthy meal option for the whole family! {Gluten-free, dairy-free & paleo}

sweet potato salmon cakes stacked stacked on top of each other with avocado crema.

This recipe for Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes has been so popular in our house recently! It’s a great healthy recipe for toddlers and baby-led weaning and delicious enough for the rest of the family to enjoy for a quick and healthy meal!

Although tasty alone, dipping these salmon cakes in the avocado crema is highly recommended as it kicks the flavour up a notch! Plus, who doesn’t love a fun and tasty dip?

Super quick and easy to prepare, these healthy salmon patties are great for meal prep, as you can make up a batch and eat them throughout the week!

If you’re looking for more finger food recipes, be sure to check out these Easy Zucchini Fritters and Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes

Why Make this Recipe

A good source of omega-3s: Particularly EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are especially beneficial as they support a healthy heart, brain and cognitive function, joint mobility, eye health, healthy skin and hair, and a healthy immune response. These essential fatty acids are so important for both little ones and adults!
Rich in other nutrients: Salmon is a great source of protein (with 7 grams of protein per mini cake), vitamin B6 and B12, vitamin D and selenium! So much nutritional goodness packed into these little cakes.
Perfect size for little hands: This is the PERFECT recipe for little ones since the cakes are so easy to hold and fun to eat. They are also a great portable option for taking on the go!
Easy to eat: The salmon is chopped up so finely that it makes a great soft food for little ones just starting out on solids, even if they don’t have any teeth. Just make sure you pick out any bones!
Freezer-friendly: Once you make up a batch, you can stores these salmon patties in the freezer for a quick grab and go meal or snack throughout the week!

Ingredient Notes

ingredients for the salmon cakes recipe with labels.

For the salmon patties:

Salmon – I like to use freshly cooked salmon fillets for this recipe for the best flavour. Look for wild Atlantic salmon if possible. You can also sub in canned salmon if that’s all that you have on hand.
Sweet Potato – Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and a great source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You can use fresh or sub in frozen sweet potato cubes.
Egg – Egg is a good source of protein and acts as a binder for the salmon cakes.
Almond Flour – Absorb some of the excess moisture and helps bind the patties together. You can also use regular or panko bread crumbs.
Seasonings – Dill, green onion, salt and pepper infuse lots of extra flavour into the cakes. You can use fresh or dried dill. You can also sub in chives for the green onion if desired.

For the avocado crema:

Avocado – Use ripe avocado as it will lend the best texture and will blend up more easily, resulting in a smooth and creamy sauce.
Lemon juice – Helps to prevent browning of the avocado and also adds a nice zesty flavour to the avocado sauce.
Olive oil – Use light olive oil if you don’t want a strong olive oil taste in your crema. You can also sub in avocado oil if desired.
Garlic powder – You can also sub in fresh garlic, but it will have a more powerful garlic flavour.
Dill – Incorporates great flavour that compliments the salmon cakes, but you can leave it out if desired. Use fresh or dried dill if you choose to add it in.

Step by Step Instructions

Place the cooked flaked salmon into a large bowl. Add mashed sweet potato, egg, dill, green onion, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

The ingredients for the salmon patties mixed together.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Form the salmon mixture into approximately 18 small patties (about 2 tablespoons worth of mixture each).

Place in the pan, leaving room between each one. You may need to cook the salmon cakes in two batches.

Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Repeat with any remaining salmon cakes.

Meanwhile, place ingredients for avocado crema in a food processor or mini blender and blend until smooth.

Ingredients for the avocado crema in a blender.

Serve salmon cakes warm topped with avocado crema.

Six salmon cakes stacked on top of each other and topped with avocado crema.

Recipe Notes:

If you don’t want to form the salmon mixture into mini cakes, you can always make them into salmon burgers as well.

If you find that the mixture is too moist when trying to form it into cakes, you can place it in the fridge for a few minutes to help it firm up a bit. You can also add a bit of extra almond flour or bread crumbs to the mixture to help absorb some of the excess moisture.

For a super quick and easy meal, I recommend cooking the salmon and sweet potato ahead of time so that all you have to do is assemble and cook the patties when meal time rolls around.

To cook the sweet potato, you can either use the oven or microwave. For the microwave: Pierce a sweet potato with a fork and cook on microwave safe plate in microwave for 6-10 minutes or until soft enough to mash with a fork. Oven method: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place sweet potato on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes or until soft enough to pierce with fork.

Be sure to pack the mixture together well using your hands to prevent it from falling apart when flipping it in the frying pan.If you’d like the avocado dip to be a thinner consistency, add one tablespoon of water at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

Twelve cooked salmon cakes in a container.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use canned salmon?

Yes, you can certainly sub in canned salmon if you don’t have any fresh salmon fillets on hand. That being said, I do find it tastes better with the fresh salmon, but canned will still work well. Drain the canned salmon well before using and be sure to mash up any bones.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes, these salmon cakes are great for meal prep! Once they are cooked and cooled, store them in an airtight container and they will keep well for up to 3 to 4 days.

Can I freeze these salmon patties?

These salmon patties freeze really well and will keep for up to 3 months. Freeze the cooled patties in a freezer container or bag and separate them with parchment paper so that they don’t freeze together. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

How to reheat

You can quickly reheat these in the oven. Place the salmon cakes on a baking sheet lined with parchment and cook in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes until heated through.

A hand holding a sweet potato salmon cake with avocado crema.

Serving Suggestions

These salmon cakes are a great recipe for the little ones in your family, but you can also serve them up as an appetizer for adults, or as a main meal accompanied by a healthy salad, rice or quinoa or a vegetable side dish.

Try them with:

Recipe variations

To make more zesty: Add some lemon juice or zest to the patties.
To make egg-free: Add some additional sweet potato or sub in a chia or flax egg for the egg.
Different herbs: Switch up the flavour and use parsley or cilantro instead of dill.
Different base: Try tuna or trout instead of salmon.

More salmon recipes

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Course Appetizer, Main Course